a rectangular patio is 13 feet by 84 feet. In walking from one corner of the patio to the opposite corner, how much distance is saved by cutting diagonally across the patio rather than walking around the outer edge?

2 answers

Ahh -- time for the Pythagorean Theorem!

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

13^2 + 84^2 = c^2

169 + 7056 = c^2

7225 = c^2

85 = c

(13 + 84) - 85 = ___________ distance saved
12